Samantha Michalski

Slaves is an indie rock, post hardcore band that was started in 2014. The band’s lead singer, Jonny Craig has also been the lead singer of Dance Gavin Dance and Emarosa, both of whom were also indie, post hardcore bands. In early 2014 the band released their first album, Through Art We Are All Equals, and it was an immediate success in the indie world. Everyone had already heard and fell in love with the rich, flowing voice that is Jonny Craig from past bands and past favorites, so it was a no-brainer that his third group would be a hit. The next year Routine Breathing, their second album was released, and it was yet another hit. Every song and every note produced by the group just flows together so sweetly.

After a few band member swaps and some major changes, the band went dormant for almost three years. Many fans became very concerned and worried that Jonny Craig was going to give up on his present journey to start a new one with another band. Early in January 2017 the band released a brand new single, “I Wanna See Your Star Explode” this rejuvenated all hope that had possibly been lost when the group quit for a while. In July 2017 the group announced that they would be going on tour with a few smaller, less known bands. This sparked anyone and everyone in this genre’s excitement, Craig’s previous bands had done similar things and never reappeared, so many of us believed the same thing was about to happen again. Many of us had lost hope. The new album Beautiful Death was set to be released in September 2017, but after a record label change and Jonny Craig’s rehospitalization the group promised the record to be released in January 2018.

In November 2017, the band was sadly released from their current label and the tour was shut down, with the album release put on the back burner again. Fans went berserk. Unsure of how things would get fixed we simply waited. In December 2017, Slaves was taken by a new record label and the tour was back on, with the album release date now in mid-February. Fans did not seem to get their hopes up due to previous encounters. The new tour would be with supporting artists Kyle Lucas, Dayshell, and Ghost Town. In early January 2018 the band released two more songs off of the new album “Beautiful Death.” This helped revitalize the fans ever seeking need for the band’s new journey. On February 16, 2018 the full version of “Beautiful Death” had been released and the tour kicked off.

Starting in Dallas, Texas on February 16, the tour kicked off great, with many fans coming to support the bands and artists involved in the show. The tour went to Greensboro, North Carolina in late February. They appeared in a small, sold out show at a venue called the Blind Tiger. The show started with all the lights off and many black lights; people started to crowd around the stage and get ready for the show to begin.

It started with a couple of local screamo-rock bands. The two groups each played five songs from their debut albums. They were both decent bands, if you are into that type of music. They both got lots of love and lots of support from the many fans who were there. Of the main four bands Kyle Lucas, a solo rap artist, got on stage first. He performed some of his most well-known songs such as, “Coffee Break”, “Airport Blues”, and “Good Intentions ft. Jonny Craig.” The crowd went wild from the second he stepped on the stage. Lucas knew how to work the crowd, he knew when to involve his fans and when to speak what his mind was thinking. He was very invested in his audience and he knew how to connect with each and everyone of them.

Next up on stage was Dayshell, a rock, post-hardcore band. I was not very familiar with them before the concert, but they did a very good job of interacting and associating with the audience and with their fans. The crowd was very supportive, even others like me who were not well acquainted with their music. They played a few songs that were harder rock music that I enjoyed. After Dayshell, Ghost Town took over. I had never even heard of them before the concert, but they were very good. They are a small, startup group that primarily play rock and post-hardcore music as well. Being a startup group, I did not expect much hype for them, but I was extremely wrong. Many of the fans were well versed in their music and their art, and they also did an excellent job of rousing up the crowd and getting everyone ready for the main attraction.

After a small intermission, the whole venue got quiet. I was front and center up against the barricade, which was the perfect seating to see what I had come to see. After all the lights cut off, the band took the stage. Everyone began screaming and shouting for Jonny Craig, and as he walked up onto the stage every voice in the building was shouting: all of his fans had been waiting for this. They began the concert with “My Soul is Empty and Full of White Girls.” This was a great pick to get everyone jumping and dancing. The whole venue was jumping and shouting lyrics, everyone was so excited. They played a few songs from their new album such as, “True Colors”, “Patience is the Virtue”, and “I’d Rather See Your Star Explode” while they also played old favorites like, “Drowning in My Addiction”, “Warning From My Demons”, and “Let This Haunt You.” They catered very well to the fans, whether they are old die-hard Craig fans or newer fans who were just getting into the band. Craig and the group were very crowd and fan oriented, they ensured that everyone was involved and everyone was being engaged. Near the end of the show, Slaves performed their most recent heartfelt song, “The Pact.” This song revolves around all of us making a pact to stay together and to help each other stay strong. This really pulled at a lot of fans’ heartstrings, and it was the most emotional part of the whole concert. Afterward, Craig brought out Kyle Lucas to perform another song before the show ended and the crowd went wild.